Lunar Landing

"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." Neil Alden Armstrong, American astronaut, test pilot, and Naval Aviator spoke these words broadcast from the moon and into history as he placed his left foot on the surface of the moon, the first human to ever do so, July 21, 1969.

As you may now be aware, (see last post on Close Encounters) I am a big fan of Space exploration. If you ever have a chance to go to the Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. (you should make it a point of visiting this special museum), it is amazing how small the Gemini capsules were and how unbelievably brave these men and later women truly are. The museum also has a robust collection of objects and artifacts regarding the Apollo program. The Apollo program began in 1961 and continued through 1975 with the goal of conducting manned moon landing missions. This was a goal announced by President Kennedy in 1961 and was achieved on July 20, 1969 during the Apollo 11 mission. In total six Apollo spaceflights landed astronauts on the moon, the only humans to have landed on another celestial body. The program spurred advances in many areas of technology peripheral to rocketry and manned spaceflight including major contributions in the fields of avionics, telecommunications, and computers.

The image of the first step taken on the moon, celebrated in this stamp from Mexico is another example of the way in which the graphics portrayed on postage stamps and the inspiration for our t-shirts, both celebrate and respect what is positive and alluring about one another. In appreciation of the monumental achievement of landing on the moon, Mexico commemorated the event in this 1969 classic. What enhances the uniqueness of this image even further is the fact that the postal system of Mexico is said to have begun with the Aztecs, who operated a system of messengers.

Close Encounter

I have always been fascinated by Astronomy, Space Travel and the possibility of Alien Life. When Star Trek first aired in 1966 I was 13 years old. I was mesmerized by what I saw and could not wait until I heard those now immortal words of William Shatner; “Space... the Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” Later I couldn’t wait for the next episode of Lost In Space, and more recently watched every episode of The X files.

When I came upon stamps which portrayed Alien sightings I knew I wanted to use those images for inspiration for one of my designs. To see a South American country featuring an event that took place in North America captures the essence of celebrating and respecting something unique and cool in one another.  The Nicaraguan Postal Authority published a series of five stamps documenting close encounters of the third kind in North and South America. The image chosen for this t-shirt commemorates a close encounter which took place in North America.

A close encounter in ufology is an event where a person witnesses an unidentified flying object. This terminology and the system of classification behind it was started by astronomer and UFO researcher J. Allen Hynek, and was first suggested in his 1972 book The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry. He introduced the first three kinds of encounters; First kind; a sighting of one or more unidentified flying objects. Second kind; is an observation of a UFO, and associated physical effects from the UFO. Third kind; is an observation of what Hynek termed "animate beings" in association with a UFO sighting. An additional category added by others includes the Close Encounter of the Fourth kind; where a human is abducted by a UFO or its occupants.  Extraterrestrial life is life originating outside of the Earth. It is the subject of astrobiology, and its existence remains hypothetical. There is no credible evidence of extraterrestrial life that has been widely accepted by the scientific community.

November 7, 1969 Kansas, USA
While driving home slightly after midnight on Interstate 70, two women suddenly observed two bright lights in the sky. Under hypnosis, they both related similar reports of being taken aboard a craft by alien life forms. The extraterrestrials were described as being slender with large hairless heads, slanted non-blinking eyes, and four long slender fingers on each hand. Neither women had ever seen or expressed any belief in UFOs previously.

Sharjah Commemorates Arab Astronomers

In searching for an image from the Middle East which reflected the rich history and contributions to civilization from this embattled land, this triangular stamp from Sharjah captured the essence of what I was looking for. Sharjah is one of The United Arab Emirates. The Emirates were formed from tribally organized Arabian Peninsula sheikhdoms along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf and the northwestern coast of the Gulf of Oman. The area became Islamic in the 7th century. The Emirate of Sharjah is the third largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates, and is the only one to have land on both the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

This stamp commemorates the achievements of Arab Astronomers whose achievements include measuring the earth’s circumference, the determination of the solar year, advances in optics, lenses and mirrors, the position of planets at any given time and the prediction of solar and lunar eclipses. The achievements recognized on the stamp reflect the scientific inroads to modernity which began centuries ago in the Islamic world.

Yet, Sharjah mirrors the cultural conflict between modernity and tradition. Sharjah is the cultural capital of the UAE and yet is considered the most conservative of the emirates. Sharjah is the only Emirate in which the sale, possession and consumption of alcohol is banned. It also maintains the strictest decency laws in the UAE, introduced in 2001, with a conservative dress code required for both men and women. Mixing between unmarried men and women is illegal, and according to a Gulf News Article: "A man and a woman who are not in a legally acceptable relationship should not, according to the booklet, be alone in public places, or in suspicious times or circumstances."

Rwanda As Inspiration For A Fashion T-Shirt

Now that I have posted the evolution of and inspiration for Ethnicitee, I wanted to talk about the images I used for the T-shirts and update the current situation and/or the lessons learned from the events which took place in each country. The first one is our Rwanda shirt:

RWANDA

The General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1965 as International Co-operation Year. Since 1959 the UN has designated International years in order to draw attention to major issues and to encourage international action to address concerns which have global importance and ramifications. This stamp image and ICY logo we used to inspire the T-shirt design, while recalling the genocide, portrays the farming roots and geographical beauty of this strife-torn nation. Fourteen years ago, the failure of the international community to respond in a meaningful way to end the genocide in Rwanda, vividly illustrated the need for the development of guidelines to govern how and when nations are to intervene to prevent a humanitarian crisis in another country. In the following years, the consensus of opinion supports the rights of civilians to be protected from both their own government and their fellow citizens. Effective mechanisms and the political will to prevent genocide are still lacking as is evidenced by the current tragedy in the Sudan today.

Celebrate And Respect Ethnicity

The world is turned upside down due to ethnically related conflict. Children, the innocent victims of these conflicts are suffering globally. I thought of a way to celebrate and respect ethnicity, enrich a child’s life, and look good doing it. My name is Dr. Allan Bernstein, and I am the founder of Ethnicitee, and here is my story.

In 2003 as my family was preparing for our son Adam’s Bar Mitzvah, suicide bombings were taking place virtually everyday in Israel. I could not comprehend the dichotomy of perspectives regarding this, and how Israel was typically portrayed as the villain in this conflict. I went on an academic pursuit of knowledge to learn what I could regarding the history of the Arab-Israeli war. Frustrated by what I saw as a fundamental lack of knowledge regarding the situation, I began to teach the Modern History of the State of Israel to high school and college students. In teaching the history I came upon a website which taught the history of the holocaust through stamps which were commemorated throughout the world. My students were very energized and interested in these stamp images, and really took to the lesson plan. The fact that so many countries were moved by such an event so as to make sure that no one would forget, that really resonated with me and my students. Fast forward to 2006 and the much of the world is in the shadow of ethnic conflict.

Of the 39 major armed conflicts in the world, 37 could plausibly be described as ethnic conflicts. The negativity and intolerance that emanates from these conflicts and their direct affects on its innocent victims- children have global implications. Yet, there is so much that is beautiful about our ethnicity. But, how do you encapsulate this and then place it on the modern billboard, clothing/T-shirts, to catalyze a change in perspective. I then recalled the stamps I used as teaching aids. I did a little more research and found that the essence of what is positive and alluring regarding our ethnicity has been portrayed in mini masterpieces of artwork; stamps. I obtained the necessary agreements so that I could use the images and exercised my creativity.

Ethnicitee provides each individual with an opportunity to make a statement - Celebrate and Respect Ethnicity. Ethnicitee’s mission is to promote a deeper understanding, admiration and tolerance for one another. Inspired by the beauty in stamps from around the world, each showcasing snapshots of humanity, our uniquely designed t-shirts, thread cultural awareness into each wearable work of art. From selecting and utilizing telling and alluring images to processing apparel using the most innovative printing and embroidering techniques, Ethnicitee’s graphic interpretations convey a universal message of interconnectedness and global awareness that we all can relate to. Ethnicitee also seeks to facilitate a community of impassioned people who will gain a deeper respect and appreciation for the heritage of others. Thus, with every purchase of our t-shirts or thermal shirts, 10% of the proceeds will go to charities which create opportunities for and enrich the lives of children affected by ethnic conflict. Our first affiliation is Charity: Water, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the 1.1 billion people who are without access to clean drinking water. In one week, 42,000 people will die from diseases related to poor quality drinking water and 90 percent of them will be children under the age of five. We can all do something and make a difference in these children’s lives, and look good doing it as well.

I invite you to visit us at www.ethnicitee.com . Any comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Ethnicitee is a clothing line “inspired by passion, fueled by compassion and socially conscious through fashion.”

Updated Mission Statement

Mission Statement

It is the mission of ETHNICITEE to provide a vehicle for a unique and contemporary method of celebrating and respecting our cultural similarities as well as our differences. By proudly displaying evocative works of art on a textile pallet, we shall provide a catalyst for embracing ethnicity through a deepening of our understanding, admiration, and tolerance for one another.

Value Proposition

• We propose to bring value to our customers by connecting one another through celebration and mutual respect.
• Display our artwork on the highest quality apparel and accessories through the most sophisticated of printing and embroidering techniques.

Vision

• Creation of a community, of connected, impassioned people, who through the development of a deeper respect and appreciation for the heritage of others create opportunities for, and enriches the lives of children affected by ethnic conflict.
• Ten percent of our profits will be placed in our foundation which will initiate the process.

Inspiration

Of the 39 major armed conflicts in the world, 37 could plausibly be described as ethnic conflicts. The negativity and intolerance that emanates from these conflicts have global implications. Ethnicitee has developed a unique and contemporary method of celebrating and respecting our cultural similarities as well as our differences. The essence of what is alluring and consequential in our cultures, a reflection of our ethnicity, has been portrayed in mini masterpieces of artwork; stamps. Exercising our artistic license, Ethnicitee provides each individual with an opportunity to celebrate and respect ethnicity, enriching the lives of those who are the most innocent victims of intolerance; children.

ETHNICITEE

“CELEBRATION AND RESPECT”

Ethnicitee is a globally integrated company that through licensing agreements, design, and production, crafts clothing, accessories, and related products to catalyze the celebration and respect of ethnicity.